The present invention is directed to a method for introducing compact disks (CD's) into compact disk boxes, which boxes have a lower part and a cover part or lid with lateral retaining noses which parts are joined together with a hinge-like connection. The method involves opening the box, inserting a booklet which is retainable in the cover part or lid by means of laterally retaining noses, inserting a printed sheet of text into the lower part, inserting a tray on the printed sheet, then positioning a compact disk on the tray and then closing the box. The invention is also directed to an apparatus which is suitable for implementing the above mentioned method of introducing compact disks plus a booklet plus a sheet of printed material and tray into a compact disk box which has a lower part and a cover or lid joined thereto with a hinge-like connection.
Compact disks are enjoying increasing popularity, particularly because of their considerable better recording and play-back qualities in comparison to traditional records. Compact disks boxes are manufactured of transparent plastic material and usually serve for the transporting and storing of the compact disk. These compact disk boxes are composed of a lower part and a cover part or lid which is joined thereto with a hinge-like connection. A sheet of printed text is inserted to lie on the inside surface of the lower part and has edge regions preferably folded up at two opposite edges, a plastic tray is inserted into the lower part and has formed a projection for centering and holding the compact disk. A booklet of materials, such as a text, is also inserted into the compact disk box and this booklet is held adjacent an inside surface of the cover or lid by means of retaining noses on the inside surface of the lid.
The manual introduction of the various components into a compact disk box is work intensive. On the other hand, an automatic packaging of the compact disk with the booklet and the sheet of printed material has not been possible especially because the "threading" of a relatively thick and bulky booklet behind the retaining noses of the lid is only partly successful. In addition, the very light, single sheet of text tend to arch or to bend when inserted into the bottom part due to electric static charges that may potentially occur there.